(AOD) offenders are not a homogenous group. These differences include
personality, patterns of AOD abuse, health status, socialization, education,
family, job training, urban and rural influences, and mental functioning. They
range from seriously antisocial individuals to those who are more pro-social and
have family and community support systems. Therefore it is critical to screen and
assess offenders prior to placing them in treatment programs. This screening
and assessment should determine the range of services needed by the offender
to learn to cope in society and should assist in developing an individualized case
plan (CSAT, 1995).
Screening and assessment is a multi-stage process. Screening is the initial
activity that identifies offenders who are likely to have AOD problems. Many
screening and tools exist to gauge an inmate’s need for treatment services.
Research indicates that inmates with substance abuse problems are at higher
risk for a number of problems and conditions that, left unidentified and
unaddressed, can increase the probability of relapse and reincarceration.
Screening instruments recommended by researchers for criminal justice
populations include the Alcohol Dependence Scale and the Drug Use section of
the Addiction Severity Index, the Texas Christian University Drug Dependence
Screen, and the Simple Screening Instrument. They found these instruments to
be superior to the SMAST and the SASSI (Rounds-Bryant et al., 2000).
An assessment is a process that helps determine the extent of an individual’s
problem with alcohol and other drugs and the appropriate level of treatment.
Assessments should be biopsychosocial in nature and should address medical,
psychiatric, psychological, emotional, social, familial, nutritional, legal and
vocational areas to determine the levels of treatment intervention and services
that will be needed (CSAT, 1995).
While AOD screening is generally a one-time event, an AOD assessment is an
on-going process. Commonly used assessment instruments include the
Offender Profile Index, which is used to determine the appropriate type of AOD
abuse treatment for the offender and the Addiction Severity Index, which is
probably the most widely used standardized diagnostic instrument in the field.
Assessment is repeated throughout treatment and throughout the offender’s
involvement in the criminal justice system. Changes in the offender’s severity of
addiction and in problems related to addiction, as well as new life problems and
crises, require modifications in the treatment plan (CSAT, 1995).
CARF (2001), the Rehabilitation Accreditation Commission, promotes the quality,
value, and optimal outcomes of rehabilitative services, according to their mission
statement. The Commission develops and maintains standards that enable
rehabilitative programs to attain accreditation. These standards are "consensus”
standards from the involvement of providers, consumers, and purchasers of
services. Screening, assessment, and case planning are required components of
a criminal justice treatment program under CARF standards.
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